Furyk tweaks Ryder Cup selection process, puts emphasis on form

(Reuters) - U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk tweaked the selection criteria for the 2018 Ryder Cup against Europe by placing a premium on in-form players, the PGA of America said on Wednesday.

A points system used to determine eight automatic qualifiers has remained largely intact but a change has been made in how many points are awarded during the Ryder Cup year as well as the timing of the captain's picks.

Furyk will make three of his captain's picks following the 2018 Dell Technologies Championship, the second of four FedExCup playoff events in 2018, which is scheduled to finish on Sept. 3, and his final selection will be announced a week later after the BMW Championship.

Last year, former Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III selected three players after the first playoff event and made his final pick after the playoff finale, the Tour Championship.

Like recent editions of the biennial competition versus Europe, U.S. players will earn points this season and next in the run up to the September event at Le Golf National in Paris.

Only golf's bigger events, however, will offer Ryder Cup points in 2017, including one point earned for every $1,000 won at the four majors; the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship. The four WGC events and The Players Championship will award one point for every $2,000 earned.

In 2018, there will be more opportunities to earn points at regular PGA Tour events while the marquee events will offer bigger points.

The winners of the 2018 majors will earn two points per $1,000 won while every player to make the cut will get 1-1/2 points per $1,000 earned.

PGA Tour events in 2018 through to the PGA Championship in August will offer one point per $1,000 earned.

The points system will conclude following the 2018 PGA Championship with the top eight players on the list securing spots on the U.S. team.